10 injured as JU students clash over six shops
At least 10 students were injured in a clash between students of two residential halls of Jahangirnagar University (JU) on Monday over six shops allegedly located on the land of Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall but controlled by students of Bishwakabi Rabindranath Tagore Hall.
The clash between students of the two halls took place at Rafique Jabbar Chattar around 3pm, followed by chases and counter-chases.
According to eyewitnesses and students, some students of Rabindranath Tagore Hall took position in front of the six shops with sticks and bricks and allegedly chanted provocative slogans, reports BSS.
They said some Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall students approached them to discuss the matter, leading to an argument.
The situation escalated when Ali Arafat Khan, a resident of Rabindranath Tagore Hall and a student of the 53rd batch of the Department of Public Health and Informatics, allegedly grabbed the collar of a Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall student from the 51st batch. Students from both halls then engaged in a clash, leaving at least 10 students injured.
The injured students received treatment at the university medical centre. Two students with serious injuries were referred to Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar.
while the others received treatment at the university facility.
Dr Rizwanur Rahman, deputy chief medical officer of the university medical centre, said 10 injured students had so far sought treatment there. “Two of them were in serious condition and were sent to a hospital in Savar. The others are receiving treatment at the university medical centre,” he said.
University sources said the shops had operated under Rabindranath Tagore Hall since its construction in 2017, before Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall was built in 2023.
Since the construction of Nazrul Hall, its students have been demanding allocation and ownership of the shops located in front of their hall. The dispute between the two halls has continued for around nine months.
Rakibul Islam, vice president of Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall, said they had submitted memorandums to the administration twice over the issue.
“We submitted a memorandum signed by 350 students on September 1 and requested the administration to arrange a meeting between the two halls within seven days. But even after 14 days, we received no assurance,” he said.
He said students later decided to hold a peaceful position in front of the shops to press their demands.”But before we could do that, students of Rabindranath Tagore Hall took position in front of the shops with sticks and bricks and behaved provocatively.
This worsened the situation,” Rakibul said,
blaming the university administration and the Rabindranath Tagore Hall authorities for failing to prevent the clash.
Mahmudur Rahman Emon, general secretary of Rabindranath Tagore Hall Students’ Union, said Nazrul Hall students had been claiming ownership of the shops for nearly a year.
“We informed the administration about the matter and asked them to discuss it with the administration. The income from these shops is used for various activities of our hall,” he said.
Prof Abdur Razzaq, provost of Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall, said the administration had taken an initiative to hold discussions involving the wardens of both halls, elected representatives of the hall unions and student representatives.
“We will try to resolve the issue through discussion,” he said.
Prof Dr Muhammad Shafiqul Islam, provost of Rabindranath Tagore Hall, said Nazrul Hall students had been demanding ownership of the shops for a long time. “We have discussed the matter with the students and the administration.
The administration planned to arrange a meeting between representatives of the two sides, but the clash made the situation tense,” he said.
JU Proctor Prof Dr Zakir Hossain expressed regret over the incident.
“What happened between the students of the two halls today was undesirable.
We regret the incident. We will sit with representatives of both halls and resolve the issue as soon as possible,” he said.
